Video: Bookie hands over big cheque to Marie Curie charity

Kevin Hughes

Bookmakers aren’t renowned for enjoying paying out, but the smile on the face of Gregory Hughes was a warm and genuine one as he handed Pat O’Kane a cheque for £850.

Well-known Dungannon man Pat was accepting the money on behalf of Marie Curie Cancer Care and it was the proceeds of the £50 per day charity bet kindly granted by Hughes to the Tyrone Times and Mid-Ulster Mail as part of his annual promotions for the Cheltenham Festival.

Gregory Hughes of Hughes Bookmakers Dungannon pictured as he hands over a cheque for �850 to Pat O'Kane representing Marie Curie Cancer Care. Included in the picture are Kevin Hughes (Head of Sport at the Mid-Ulster Mail & Tyrone Times) and Seamus Donnelly (Sports Reporter). The money is proceeds from the Mid-Ulster Mail & Tyrone Times Cheltenham charity bets.INTT1415-332

On two of the four days of the March racing extravaganza, Seamus Donnelly and Kevin Hughes put their heads together and came up with two winners - The Druids Nephew at 8/1 and Call The Cops at 9/1, thus the winnings of £850, for which O’Kane expressed his sincere gratitude.

Not only that, there might even be a further windfall for them because the bookie who operates two betting shops in both Dungannon and Coalisland has given us another £50 free bet for the Grand National on Saturday.

Hughes, who is paying out on the first five places in the big race and has a special price of 66-1 for the double of Tony McCoy to win the National and Rory McIlroy to become US Masters golf champion, will have to fork out at least another £700 to the charity if The Druids Nephew is first past the post at Aintree!